I've starting to plan a very exciting trip somewhere in Australia for a period of four to six weeks, I am fairly new to the cycling game but would like to try and complete a very special trip.

Originally i was looking into Perth to Melbourne but after a few initial reviews this would both take too long and involve many desert type stretches of road that wouldnt offer to much to see or do.

I would love it if people could offer sugguestions of possible routes for a six week trip that would both be beautiful and have a few interesting places along the way, the location does not matter as we could start anywhere in the country.

Stick to Vic, SE of NSW and Tas in my opinion. At that time of year, anywhere further north, the inland and most of SA and WA are going to be either the wet season (lots of rain and cyclones) or very hot. The coastal SW of WA could be nice for a surf tour, as long as you don't go too far inland and you keep the 'Fremantle Doctor' behind you. But the best time to go there really is now until Nov for the wildflowers.

Best bet would be two weeks on a loop tour of the Snowy Mountains, then back to Melbourne (train from Bairnsdale or Albury) for the ferry to Tasmania and another 3-4 weeks touring this delightful island.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

Hi Nichola since your fairly new to cycling and maybe touring I wouldn't go placing to much demand on yourself and leave plenty of room for adjusting your plan and taking a day at a time. Between now and when you leave I would get your bike and gear ready doing a few short trips over the week ends to test out your bike and packing skills along with iron out the things you thought you need but found never touched hence can be removed from the packing list. Even go as far as trying out a 5 day short trip to make sure you have things packed and set-up suited to your needs. Start to get you legs into cycling long before you leave so your not in that first few days of pain and discomfort. Allow more time than needed and if need be to make the trip shorter allowing for more time to take in areas of interest and time to find a nice spot that you like and decide to stay longer in that location rather than be concerned about pushing on to make your schedule. I agree with IP keep your destination away from the hot dry lands of this country with KM's of nothing and try for the more scenic locations in cooler climates for this touring run.

You doing credit card touring or spending most of the time camping being pretty much self sufficient? You might want to give some more info on your likes or snap shot of what it is you hope to gain from this tour so more folks can chime in for a better pin point a location to better suit your needs. Are you alone or travelling with the family etc?